After being arrested in 2002, US citizens Jose Padilla was stripped of his rights and held without charges for 3 years. He stood accused with two others of planning to detonate a radioactive bomb, but that allegation will no longer be part of his trial due to a lack of evidence. Adham Amin Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi are also being tried alongside Padilla, and all three could face life sentences if found guilty.

Since the main allegation against Padilla has been dropped, prosecutors are now claiming that an application form to attend an al-Qaeda training camp proves Padilla was connected to Islamic extremists. I wonder who he got to write his letter of recommendation, and what the acceptance rate is for former gang members into such an organization.

Prosecuting Assistant US attorney Brian Frazier tried to convince jurors that Padilla was an al-Qaeda trainee who provided himself as “material support” to the organization. Lawyer Jeanne Baker, representing Mr Hassoun, said; “The government really is trying to put al-Qaeda on trial in this case and it doesn’t belong in this courtroom. The government is twisting the facts out of all recognition.” Of course the government is making this about al-Qaeda Ms. Baker! After the radioactive bomb charges were dropped, they can’t just admit that they’ve been torturing someone for years without a reason.

Padilla is a convert to Islam who was arrested at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport in May 2002 after returning from Pakistan. He was held at a naval base in South Carolina where he was tortured for over three years. Of course, US officials deny those claims. After a long battle between the White House and civil liberties groups, Padilla was transferred to civilian courts in 2005. Jeffrey Harris, president of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said; “This is a showcase trial that will be publicized all over the world. It doesn’t get much bigger than this.”

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